smallfry Posted November 1, 2019 Author Share Posted November 1, 2019 On 10/30/2019 at 9:17 PM, vulcan bomber said: Here's a link to a build thread on a model engineering forum I use. http://modeleng.proboards.com/thread/8734/5-inch-gauge-9f For the People that were commenting here about the machine the OP is looking at, Harrison make very good machines. Love the thread too. Fascinating. However, its making me think again, as I fear I do not have the time, or patience to see it through ……...… or possibly the skill ! Milling machine has now been sold. To someone else. ☹️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Try a smaller project first, a small stationary engine, or a Minnie Traction engine for example. If your serious about doing a project build then we can exchange contact details and I will happily point you in the right direction. Don't be put off by my build thread, I don't do much in the way of traditional model engineering. Try this and the rest of the series so far: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 2 hours ago, smallfry said: However, its making me think again, as I fear I do not have the time, or patience to see it through ……...… or possibly the skill ! Skill comes with practice, but there's help at hand on YouTube, of all places... A soft start; not entirely machining focused, but an excellent machinist and engineer: https://www.youtube.com/user/featony Machinist Pro turned pro YouTube. Look to his older stuff for some excellent milling content: https://www.youtube.com/user/Abom79 Great for tips and tricks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpp6lgdc_XO_FZYJppaFa5w Serious old-school machinist. Old timer with a flair for creative setups doing whatever it takes to get the job done: https://www.youtube.com/user/KEF791 Long videos, but detailed by an excellent engineer: https://www.youtube.com/user/oxtoolco I'll suggest some particular videos if you're interested. Its all right there, from basics to "I had no idea you could even do that with a manual milling machine". You can learn how to tram a mill head or vise (or that that's even a thing you need to do and how), for example, by seeing someone who knows what they're doing actually do it. Then, when you get hold of a machine you can confidently go about getting into some projects with enough knowledge that you're not on the intensely frustrating "fumbling about in the dark" part of the learning curve. It's nothing like TV, as these guys know their audience wants detail and they don't have a moron exec breathing down their necks telling them to ham up the drama, dumb it down a bit and cut chunks out to fit into a half hour slot with three ad breaks. They're all enjoyable to watch too. I'll do a quick video of my single phase input to 3 phase variable frequency output gizmo when I get it next week. Looks like there's a bit of confusion about it, so as good an excuse as any for making a video. Guess I might as well chronicle my first attempts with a proper mill while I'm at it too, hadn't it... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 13 hours ago, lo-fi said: Then, when you get hold of a machine you can confidently go about getting into some projects with enough knowledge that you're not on the intensely frustrating "fumbling about in the dark" part of the learning curve. Thanks to YouTube I'm at the "fumbling about in the light" stage 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Wow. An awful lot of food for thought there. Have spent a few evenings watching milling and machining videos, plus the inevitable sidetracks. For the time being I have the best part of a house build to start/finish first, or I will be getting some serious handbagging from SWMBO, who wants a stable built FIRST (priorities 🙄)on a difficult site. I dont suppose anyone wants around 200m3 of soil and chalk ? Free to collector but no vehicular access …………... I have realised over the weekend that I seriously need to thin out some of my projects before starting another potential unfinished one ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 For what it is worth, I had a small CNC mill and still have a small manual lathe but cannot access it at present. Once you have had machine tools you really miss them when they're gone - a bit like a vice or a welder! So many occasions I have thought I'll just throw that in the lathe or in the mill only to realise I can't . Turning useful metal into swarf is also very therapeutic I find! My top tip - decide how big a machine you want and then buy bigger! Small machines suffer with lack of stiffness and general capacity to hold parts and make cuts in less than a million passes. On the other hand, bigger machines are, well, bigger and will need 3 phase. In order of priority - lathe with a decent throw followed by mill. CNC was fun for a bit but the novelty soon wore off watching with heart in mouth in case it skips a step or snaps a tool. Whilst manual machining is more limited it is way more satisfying. Check out Keith Fenner on YouTube to see what you can achieve with manual machines. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 4 hours ago, bishbosh said: For what it is worth, I had a small CNC mill and still have a small manual lathe but cannot access it at present. Once you have had machine tools you really miss them when they're gone - a bit like a vice or a welder! So many occasions I have thought I'll just throw that in the lathe or in the mill only to realise I can't . Turning useful metal into swarf is also very therapeutic I find! My top tip - decide how big a machine you want and then buy bigger! Small machines suffer with lack of stiffness and general capacity to hold parts and make cuts in less than a million passes. On the other hand, bigger machines are, well, bigger and will need 3 phase. In order of priority - lathe with a decent throw followed by mill. CNC was fun for a bit but the novelty soon wore off watching with heart in mouth in case it skips a step or snaps a tool. Whilst manual machining is more limited it is way more satisfying. Check out Keith Fenner on YouTube to see what you can achieve with manual machines. Good luck! Isn’t that the truth!! CNC is great, you’ve just got to accept there will be cock ups until you get experienced and then they’ll be less frequent. NC type machines are useful as they’re a half way house.... manual machine but with options to program PCDs and profiles etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 I couldn't run to CNC anyway, and in any case I cant even get catch up TV to work properly, so what chance do I have ?☹️ I can never see how any self respecting man can live his life without a welder. Space...…. The final frontier, is a problem. I do not have much, and a lot of machines are either too high or too deep (front to back) As Bishbosh rightly says, size is everything. Same as buying anything else, like a shed or a ladder or a van. Its never, ever, quite big enough. I am still looking though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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